Tensions rise amid expectations of Iranian retaliation against Israel | News

Iran’s mission to the United Nations has suggested that any Iranian military response to a deadly Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus could have been avoided if the UN Security Council had denounced Israel’s attack.

Thursday’s Iranian statement comes amid a growing number of media reports that an Iranian attack on Israel or Israeli interests is imminent.

“If the UN Security Council had condemned the Zionist regime’s reprehensible act of aggression against our diplomatic facilities in Damascus and subsequently brought its perpetrators to justice, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime could have been avoided,” said the Iranian mission in a social discourse. media post.

Iran has promised to carry out a “decisive” response to the Israeli attack that killed seven members of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including two generals, in Damascus on April 1.

The Israeli attack and anticipated Iranian retaliation raised fears of an all-out regional war in the Middle East amid the violent conflict in Gaza, intensifying tensions and a chorus of calls for de-escalation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held telephone calls with his Qatari, Saudi Arabian, UAE, Iraqi and German counterparts on Thursday.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned against new tensions during her talks with Amir-Abdollahian, Berlin said.

“Avoiding further regional escalation must be in everyone’s interest. We urge all actors in the region to act responsibly and exercise maximum restraint,” said the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a publication on X.

German airline Lufthansa extended its suspension of flights to Tehran on Thursday, Reuters news agency cited a company spokesman as saying.

Russia has also warned its citizens against traveling to the Middle East, especially Israel, the Palestinian territory and Lebanon.

The United States, which has forces stationed throughout the region, warned Iran against attacking Israel, promising support to its ally.

“Our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is unyielding; let me repeat: uncompromising,” US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday. “We will do everything we can to protect Israel’s security.”

A US official, who spoke to Al Jazeera in Arabic on condition of anonymity, said Biden’s statement was not merely rhetorical and that the US would help intercept Iranian rockets or drones targeting Israel.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday.

“Secretary Blinken reiterated the United States’ support for Israel’s security and made clear that the United States will stand with Israel against any threats from Iran and its proxies,” the US State Department said in a statement.

The New York Times reported, citing anonymous Pentagon sources, that Michael E Kurilla, the top US general in the Middle East, was visiting Israel on Thursday to discuss the possible Iranian attack.

Iran hawks in the US Congress have been calling for a strong response from Washington to any Iranian military move against Israel.

“Israel is under threat of imminent attack from Iran,” Republican Senator Tom Cotton wrote in a social media post on Thursday. “President Biden must immediately put the Ayatollahs on notice that the United States will support Israel to the fullest and that joint American-Israeli retaliation to any attack will be swift and devastating.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to issue a threat to Iran and other adversaries, saying the country is prepared for “challenges in other arenas” beyond the war in Gaza.

“We determined a simple rule: whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively,” Netanyahu said during a visit to an air base in central Israel, according to his office.

The Israeli military has been attacking Iranian-linked targets in Syria for years as Tehran has deepened its military presence in the war-torn country.

But the attack on Iranian diplomatic facilities in Damascus earlier this month was seen as especially brazen. It received condemnation from across the Middle East and the rest of the world.

“Consulate and embassy offices in any country are considered the territory of that country. When they attack our consulate, it means they attacked our territory,” said Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, quoted by the Mehr news agency on Wednesday.

“The Zionist regime made a mistake and must be punished and will be punished.”